In pursuit of her doctorate in biogenetics, Juliette von der Lahn likes to work late, alone, at the University of Cologne biology lab.

Her work also includes her 'professional hobby': her pursuit of arcane creations. Her magic comes by way of her connection to the Schattenreich, the family real estate in a sheltered corner of a modern-day Celtic Otherworld. Her specialty? She clones hybrid animals with special properties.

On this particular Friday night—late—a korrigan appears in the lab. The korrigan, one of a race of mythical fairy-like creatures, demands that Juliette clone the bugul-noz or night shepherd, a one-of-a-kind creature out of Breton Celtic legend. Since before time came to be measured, before things began to be written down, he existed. Rumored to be big, scary-ugly, and mostly harmless, the night shepherd made woodland paths to guide humans gone astray to safety.

Now it seems the night shepherd has perished.

But these mythical creatures don't just die, they transform. And they get hungry.

Juliette doesn't have the first clue about how to genetically reconstruct a creature that doesn't even exist in the waking world.

But with the veil open and the irresistible scent of human blood in the air, she better learn fast.